By Jay Jung
Now that our last carving of Thanksgiving turkey and spoonful of stuffing has been eaten, we’re all aware what comes next! The event, central to our Christian Faith, is a hallmark of who we are as believers and hopefully guides us as we live our busy lives throughout the year. But the coming weeks can test us all.
A friend of mine, a busy grandmother and widow who still works a part-time job, would often tell me in times past, ‘every year I feel attacked by Christmas and all it brings’……how true her summation for most of us, including myself. We might feel challenged by the oft spoken comment we read and hear through our churches and services, Keep Christ in Christmas, but our best intentions can easily go awry. Amidst all the din, glitz, noise and glitter, the Christ Child, Emmanuel, born of the Virgin Mary, Prince of Peace, can simply be a distant hymn in the background of all the other holiday tunes offered on the airwaves.
That’s why we need to start out fresh our upcoming Advent Season, our four week preparation, (make that three weeks this year with Christmas celebrated on a Monday), keeping that eternal image of the simple manger scene of Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus, directly in our sights.
Advent is our entry into the Christian season observed in most denominations as a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Christ.
The name was adopted from the Latin adventus meaning “coming; arrival”. And we await the coming of Emmanuel, a word with Hebrew origins, mentioned in the Old Testament by the Prophet Isaiah meaning “God is with us.”
He prophesied that a child would be born and named Emmanuel with this term being used three times by the great prophet centuries before His birth in Bethlehem. In the New Testament, Emmanuel—God with us— is mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew 1:23 describing the incarnation of Jesus the Christ, who is believed to be the fulfillment of this prophecy. Emmanuel—God with us—is a name for Jesus because He is God incarnate, God in human form who entered into our human history. Emmanuel is a great name for Jesus because it reminds us that He is not only with us in our past human history, but also remains with us forever, because of His resurrection from the dead.
He came to save us from our sin and thus is with us always, even in the midst of difficult times. And, Emmanuel—God with us—reminds us that our God is a personal God who is interested in our individual lives as well as our lives as a people of Faith.
So take advantage of what your denomination and church will be offering as Advent begins this Sunday.
Let it be a time of prayer, quiet reflection, and a focus on the Scripture that can nourish your soul as you prepare for the coming of Emmanuel. And if a communal event of Scripture and songs highlighting the mystery of the Birth of Christ will guide you right into Christmas, please consider joining the North Perry County Catholic Community’s Lessons and Carols experience on Friday evening, December 20 beginning at 7:00 pm at Christ the Savior Church in Brewer.
Keeping ‘Christ in Christmas’ is not just a helpful slogan, but a reality that God is indeed with us, and we are indeed together with our Lord.
The Reverend Jay Jung, C.M., is the Senior Priest in Service at St. Vincent dePaul Parish in Perryville. Ordained in 1977, he graduated from St. Mary’s of the Barrens College Seminary in 1973 and has served in both educational settings and parish ministry for over 45 years. He is a member of the Congregation of the Mission, commonly known as the Vincentian Fathers and Brothers.
